Yesterday I was quite busy with many little tasks that added up to filling the day up. Did you every have a day like that? I must have checked off ten things on my ‘to do’ list that would have almost been forgotten about. Although I didn’t physically push the pile very far on the painting front, I plan to do so today. With all the little things out of the way, I should be able to dedicate the vast majority of the day to painting.

I have received good reviews for the site so far. I did make a mistake in that I put the little Victorian dresser tray in the catalog and on the site. I had given a list of items to my partner and I forgot all about it. The magazine with that project in it doesn’t come out for another couple of weeks and they have first rights on it so I shouldn’t sell or show it until they had their run. I had completely forgotten about it with all the stuff I was doing.

Getting it off of the site was easy, All I needed to do was uncheck a box and that was done. Getting out of the catalog was a little trickier. But fortunately it is was in a good place on the catalog and I was able to redo the page it was on without too much trouble. I was happy because within a couple of hours of hearing about it the problem was solved.

I also talked to my friend Jean, who is the one who got me involved with the Northeastern Woodworker’s Showcase. That was a really fun and exciting conversation. We got to catch up and talk about the event and who will be there and the judging and the clubs and I got excited all over again about participating in the show. I found out that several of my friends from our old AOL Thursday night chats are going to be there. Billie from Michigan (who we all call “Mom”) who is a great scroller. Mac from New York who is an expert finisher is coming with his entire woodworking group (they rent a bus every year to attend). Leldon from Alabama who is a wonderful scroll sawyer too is thinking about coming. He just found out that a series of his designs will be published by the “other” scroll saw magazine. He is like another son to me, as he is my son’s age and I have known him since he was 16 years old. Besides all the professional opportunities this show will have for me, personally it will be like a reunion of many of my woodworking friends that I have known forever. Not to mention the new people I will meet.

It is going to be a wonderful trip in so many ways, and after the show, I plan to drive on to Chicago to see my kids and friends and spend some time there. It will be a great thing to dream about and plan over the winter months and also it will inspire me to make some really special projects to showcase there.

Today I will be back at painting. I do have a few things to follow up with customers, but with most things under my belt, I feel free to work on and finish the skating pond. I will post some more characters on that blog, as I am far behind in doing so. I really want to finish that part of the project on this end and get a couple of full sample sets cut. The article is coming out in a few weeks and I want everything to be totally ready to go when it does.

So that is it for today. I guess it is mostly the business side of things again. It seems that takes a lot of my days up lately. But soon I will be back to cutting and making new patterns. It has only been a little over a week since my last pattern and already I miss it.

Yes, Cozmo. But that is good. I remember when my business was an ‘afterthought’. As you can imagine, it wasn’t very successful at that point either. I really do like all the aspects of my business. (Besides – it keeps me out of trouble! ;)

Sheila, I think beyond explanation, the friends and relatives you had mentioned are the most special group of persons so close to you that made you a success. It is a nice plan that you will meet your son and go for Chicago. You will get full energy booster now that it seems you are exhausted. Hope for the best when you meet them. God Bless.

You inspired me to write a bit too Shelia, but after I started I deleted it. Problem is in the construction business doing competitive bids, if I write enough to make any sense of it, it may tip off the competition to what is happening. The chances of that are very small, but the possibility is real. Especially when the jobs bid date is a week out. So, I deleted a day in the life of a laid back electrical contractor in a wild and crazy world. The whole world will have to continue to wonder how I do what I do. People have said what I have done for the last 20 years can’t be done ;-)) The thing is, if they ever figure out how easy it is, they’ll all want to do it; then, what will I do? ;- ((

-- Bob in WW ~ "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence

I understand TS. I sometimes have others ask why I share everything so openly. I think that is the part of me that is a teacher. My business is so different from yours. When many are bidding for the same job and there is only one job to be had (or project to be built) it is going to be far more competitive. For my line of work, there are so many variables and different styles that when I share a certain technique, even if someone else applies it to their own design it will still in all probability be quite different from mine. In an exacting profession such as construction, you don’t have that luxury.